Fallen Lillies
by Lillius
Summary: AU who said growing up was meant to be simple? what to do when your childhood friend appears from out of the blue and your familly isn't what you initially thought they were? Thinking outside the sandbox wasn't Kasumi's plan either.....


author's notes; well here's is a prologue of fallen lillies, expect a feel good fic with humour and a confusing life on growing up outside the sandbox.

It's also AU (alternative Universe) and characters may or maynot be exact due to authoress's research (watching episodes of Naruto)

Enjoy!

-Lillius-

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I hated my parents for having to uproot us and leave this place. I was carefree and wanted to go wherever the wind went. Only thing was that due to my parents being fruitages from Kirigakure - village in the mist; we came here, to the sand village in order live peacefully - so I was told by my sister inari.

She was the perfect ninja and almost a godsend them both, why when they got the news she was going to be the latest edition to Sunagakure's jonin ranks. Aged just sixteen which was exceptionally good in our family's standards. I was only six years old at the time and the atmosphere was still tense.

maybe it was because they were on the run all the time, according to inari the most they've stayed in a place was a few months at a time and she wanted t become a jonin so that we wouldn't haven't move ever again.

"He's a monster kasumi" Inari said to me one day, when we were walking about the village. "_It would be wise if you listen to your wise sister's words_. My superiors informed us jonin that he's what they called a ' failed warfare experiment'. Even the children here are wary of him and...."

She ruffled my short blue bob and smiled. I wasn't listening most of the time she spoke cause I was busy looking at all the pretty lilies and desert roses being put up for tonight's festival so I had no clue who she was on about.

"Don't want anything to happen to my little sister now hmmm? Now....go and play with the others kay? Try not to run off to your 'special little place' too, you know father is grey enough with me as it is without worrying about you too.

The only thing I did was poke my tongue out at her, watching her walk away and then disappear.

All the kids were playing ninjas; it's such a silly game. The reality of it all was that people go away and never come back. That's what mother said anyways.

Still, it was fun to play and I had made a few friends we all played in the park where all the sand houses squared off to it looked more like an enclosure, still there was plenty of dark crevices and various crates/rubble to hide in. Until Anya spotted something that made her lose her footing amongst the broken crates. You could hear the ankle bones snap.

"AHHHHHH my foot! Dammit it huuurts! Kasuuuuumiiiii get here now pleeease??? Oh god I think it's sticking out!"

"_How?_ What did you step on to do that?" why I had to haul the first aid kit was at first baffling (I thought the medical-nins could heal without these kits! it was sooo heavy to lug around!)

Again, she whined, so much more loudly, even some of the boys were now concerned who, beforehand were sniggering.

As we all got to where she was, we all noticed her eyes were fixated on a particular spot - where flag used to be (well, a stick with chiyoni's shirt was posing as a flag).

Katsuya retorted. I hated him for the fact that not only was he a spoiled brat and was a bossy boots; he always made some of us felt like we were low as dirt because we weren't as 'gifted' as him. Jerk.

"Man you're bleeding! Kasumi! **Go get her mum**. Don't just stand there - _**GO**_! And hand me the first aid kit, _you're as useful with that as you are listening_......"

I seethed, trying not to land a punch on him. "What was that? Sorry I couldn't understand you - were you speaking a different language? _Possibly BRAT tongue_!" then I stormed off to get Anya's mother.

The wind sure had picked up this afternoon, I mean, not like was windy to start off with but it was REALLY windy. I was having trouble keeping my headband on (no not the ninja ones - the pretty type you use to decorate your head - mine was white with a biggish bow in the middle that my mummy made me).

I said mummy so what? It's a pretty bow.

"That's a-a-a pretty bow...."

I stopped dead in front of a dingy alleyway. Everyone was at the festival (which would be a good place to start looking for Anya's mum) so there shouldn't be anyone here, apart from my friends.....right?

As if I was weaving out of pond reeds – I stammered uneasily.

"Hello? Who said that? Can you come out so I know who said my bow was pretty? Please?"

Holding my breath, I waited to see who would come out from the alleyway.

"sorry" the voice appeared again, only it now came out of a boy almost covered in his own cloth robe "I didn't mean to um, scare you, I was watching you play and I.....uh, thought your bow was pretty"

"Really?" sounding surprised "thank you, you must be very good with stealth if none of us could see you" holding my hand out to him I beamed "I-I'm Kasumi! What's yours?"

"Gaara" he replied, unsure whether to smile or shuffle away. He sure looked nervous - either that or he hasn't had much contact with children our age (well, I think he's the same age as me)

"Well, 'Gaara' I like the way your eyes are, did you use face paint to make them dark circles?"

"I was born like that"

"Oh, sorry"

Then came the awkward silence, awkward being that the more I stared at him, the more I was beginning to smile more until suddenly I started to giggle, which made him look at me oddly as if I was mad - or off my rocker.

"I'm sorry gaara, I was meant to get Anya's mum but by the time I got there Katsuya and the others would've bandaged her foot and got her home. I'm pretty useless with listening sometimes - or I can distracted at times too. Oh look! Here comes her mother now with jinku....."

Jinku shot an evil yet frightened glare - was it to me? Or.....the boy?

Shrugging off jinku's hostility's we both ran off to play on the outskirts of the village!

As the months passed I spent most of my time with my new friend. Although gaara told me not to tell anyone I was playing with him (he wouldn't say why but I never cared as such, it was nice playing together) and watching him more I was feeling myself blush more around him (usually when being caught off guard). His smiles were wider than the first time we met and listening to his thoughts on what he believed in (not to mention he would show me a beautiful spot where there were loads of white lilies!) it made me feel like I was alive for some reason. Particularly when we watched the occasional sand dust devils rise up and down in the distance like pools of swirling streamers.

It was the most liberating of times! And although sometimes his brother and sister teased us (y'know 'who's your _girlfriend_ Garra?' and the ole 'Gaara and Kasumi...sitting in a tree) he just ignore them, took my hand and whisked us off to our secret play den. I wouldn't see much of his face for most of the evening. I lost my ribbon that evening too! Can't remember how either.

I even found out I could do this really neat trick with my chakra! I can move my hair! How cool is that??? Can even use it to wave -bye-bye to inari and mother before going off to play. Heh heh the look on their faces – both of amazement and bewilderment.

Inari says it's annoying because I should be using my hands to pick up the cutlery - not my hair.

"Kasumi it's _unlady like_....and disgusting.....say, where have you've been going lately? you keep coming back with a lily in your hair.....there's only two places in Sunagakure, the outskirts and lord kazekage's garden....you're not getting into mischief _**are you**_....."

Inari was becoming more suspicious of what I was doing every more so every day...... and it was getting harder and harder to meet up with Gaara in secret.

One time she caught me paddling in the quicksand garra made (weird how he made it huh?) she was scared i was going to get sucked in-boy she was mad! I was grounded for a week by my dad.

This particular night was the worst. For starters mum and dad were behaving strangely, constantly looking behind the curtains before speedily shutting them closed again; it went on for days before hand. Every so often mum would panic and throw a kunai at what she thought was 'just a shadow' or she thought she saw 'something'. Dad on the other hand was very calm and yet snappy – he was arguing with Inari about her staying here rather than coming with us 'protecting the stronghold' he kept saying (he wasn't good at saying the word 'family' ).

"On top of all this you're seeing...that...that THING! He's dangerous Kasumi!" dad raged, amlost ripping out what was left of his ebony hair. "you could've been killed or, or **worse** – we all could've been found out and you know what that would mean?? Getting concreate shoes and a dip in the ocean for starters!"

"maki enough, she just wanted to makemore friends-" mum interjected, slamming the saucepan down ontop of the table, causing the vegetable water to splash out and scald the table.

"I agree with father on this. Her recklessness and 'friends for all' attitude will do no good for our situation. Let her stay with some relatives somewhere for a little while until we get there safely too – the hidden leaf v-"

"WITH THAT LOT?? No! They're a warzone hotspot!"

"Izumi, curb your temper – it won't do you any good, Inari is right, yes it is hotspot. But it's _safe_ and i'm sure the third Hokage would understand"

"but...."Mum's eyes welled up with tears "we're supposed to be together, noone is supposed left behind...."

Dad cuddled her, signalling my sister to put me to bed early. I could hear them mumering before dad was soothing my mother.

And as my sister, my 'perfect' soldier of a sister tucked me in and kissed my forhead. It dawned on me that something wasn't right. For starters the mood had a tinge of red and yet it was raining clear water (it bearly rains here) and Inari was sending letters to those important people in Konohagakure, she told me that as soon as the coast was clear she and my parents would come back for me.

But I didn't want to leave Garra behind.

He was my first real friend I had properly made.

And he smiled at my stunts.

I don't want to leave him at all.

I have at least see him tonight (maybe when my familly's asleep).

I got a note from Gaara saying to meet outside the village later that night. Only thing was he never showed up.

"Gaara? Gaara where are you? _Are you hiding again?_ It's not funny.....it's dark and there's a couple of wagons out here.....please?"

The next thing I saw was Inari, running towards me with some jonin before i was knocked out by one of them thowing a sleeping bomb.

And then darkness enveloped me, with my sister's trembling voice telling someone:-

"_Take care of my sister for a little while; please...please take her somewhere far away from here and under __**NO**__circumstances is she to come back here. I'll be with her soon"_

And that was the last time I saw anyone I knew.

Until that is, ten years later.

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hope you like it so far!


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